Mortimer von Kessel

Mortimer von Kessel (25 May 1893-8 January 1981) was a General der Panzertruppe of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Biography
Mortimer von Kessel was born on 25 May 1893 in Arnswalde, German Empire. He became a lieutenant in the hussars of the Imperial German Army in 1915 during World War I, and he remained in the Reichswehr after the war and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1937. In 1939, Kessel commanded a reconnaissance unit during the invasion of Poland, and he was promoted to Generalmajor in 1942. On 8 May 1943, he was given command of the 20th Panzer Division, and he defended Vitebsk from the Soviet Union during World War II. In December 1944, he was transferred from Romania to lead the VII Panzerkorps in East Prussia, and he led the corps until he was captured in May 1945. Kessel died on 8 January 1981 in Goslar, Lower Saxony, West Germany.